Crossing the finish line at the Portland Marathon is comparable to waking up on Christmas morning when you were a kid.

Once across the line, runners are first handed a blanket commemorating the event. Then they receive a finishing medal, and then food. But that’s not all. Then they get a rose, a race pin, a finisher’s t-shirt, and finally, every race finisher gets a tree to take home and plant.

The cool finishing gifts are just one reason why the Portland Marathon, which will be held on October 1 this year, has established itself as one of the most welcoming races in the United States.

“I think our ability to add quality and value has helped us” said veteran race directed Les Smith.

In addition to the generous gifts, the Portland Marathon is known for its friendliness toward walkers and women. In fact, females typically comprise over half of the field, which is rare for marathons. Smith said part of the reason is because they keep the course open longer than most other marathons do.

“Historically, women never feel threatened by Portland because we have this aspect of not rolling up the streets,” said Smith, who added that services are available for 8 hours after the start of the race, and some workers and volunteers have been known to hang around until the last person has finished.

“We’ve never take on the component of the elite athlete,” Smith said. “We were pleased last year when Runner’s World called us the most walker-friendly marathon.”

According to the “Ultimate Guide to Marathons”, the Portland Marathon is the best organized marathon in North America. Smith credits the exceptional organization to the experienced people who work on the race committee. He said there are 75 of them, and they average 16 years of experience.

“We are well organized and part of that is the experience,” said Smith, who has been involved as race director for 25 years. “Some of them have been with me the entire time, and I think that’s really helped us.”

There are several other unique features which set the Portland Marathon apart from any other. One is that it gives out over 1,000 awards. Age group awards are as many as 15 deep, depending on the size of the division. They even give out awards to the top finisher from each country and state.

Another unique aspect is the music. Many might not realize but Portland has deep jazz music roots, and some of the bands on the course pay tribute to this. There are also bands playing rock, country, and swing music. An 18-piece big band, a harpist, and bell ringers are also featured along the course.

Smith was especially proud that the Portland Marathon received the city’s highest hospitality industry award – the Portland Award – recently. He credited the City of Portland with playing a big role in the race’s success. He noted that is become a major regional event that draws thousands of people to Portland.

“We actually have more people with a Seattle address than the Seattle Marathon,” Smith said.

For more information on the Portland Marathon or to register online, visit the race website.